Aug. 29, 2010
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UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - The No. 12 Penn State women's soccer team failed to hold an early one-goal lead as William & Mary took a 2-1 decision Sunday afternoon at Jeffrey Field. Danielle Toney (Northville, Mich.) tallied her second goal of the season in the contest.
William & Mary (2-0-1) earned a free kick in the 74th minute about 40 yards from net, which was lofted into the air by Kaitlin O'Connor, who scored her first goal of the season as it drifted into the top right corner of the net. PSU would press late for an equalizer, but couldn't get it falling for the first time in 2010 and giving William & Mary its second win at Jeffrey Field in as many tries (the first came in 1997).
"I thought we got off to a slow start the entire game," head coach Erica Walsh said afterward. "We never really showed up fully and I thought our mentality was poor."
Penn State (1-1-1) looked solid early on, pressuring the Tribe's defense with speed from forwards Toney, Hayley Brock (Acton, Mass.) and Maya Hayes (West Orange, N.J.). The Nittany Lions finally broke through when Toney supplied the team's offense with a series of runs and shots in the 11th minute. Toney had an initial pass from 15 yards out get deflected by a William & Mary defender, only to have it cleared and be struck by Toney and into the back of the net.
Penn State pressed for more when Hayes had a breakaway chance blocked in the 18th minute. On the counter attack, William & Mary's build up on offense saw Audrey Barry get wide right of PSU's defense and work her way towards net, slotting home a close-range shot on the near post past Krissy Tribbett (three saves), tying the game up at one apiece.
Brock found some space on the right flank in the 23rd minute that was turned aside by Katherine Yount (four saves). The last true opportunities of the half came when Christine Nairn's (Arnold, Md.) free kick from 30 yards out went high of the frame in the 38th minute and a Meghan Gill (State College, Pa.) header was blocked close to net. Gill made her first appearance for PSU since Nov. 2008 in an NCAA Tournament game against Rutgers.
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The Nittany Lions ratcheted up the pressure 10 minutes into the second half when Gill's open header cleared high of the net after a gorgeous Nairn delivery. Shortly after in the 63rd minute, Nairn had an open look at net from 25 yards out which hit the crossbar and went out of play. Another service by Maddy Evans (Glenside, Pa.) in the 72nd minute found Hayes in front of the net, but her header went wide right of net.
PSU tried all it could to get on the board again, but consecutive shots by Nairn and Bri Garcia (Babylon, N.Y.) in the 75th minute didn't get the job done. In the end, Penn State out-shot William & Mary, 24-11, while holding a 7-6 edge in corner kicks.
The Nittany Lions return to the field on Friday as they travel to New Haven, Conn. for a visit with Yale. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m.
BOX SCORE
| Team | 1st | 2nd | OT1 | OT2 | Total | Record |
| William & Mary | 1 | 1 | - | - | 2 | (2-0-1) |
| Penn State | 1 | 0 | - | - | 1 | (1-1-1) |
Scoring Summary
PSU (10:54) - Danielle Toney (2, unassisted)
W&M (18:50) - Audrey Barry (1, unassisted)
W&M (73:20) - Kaitlin O'Connor (1, unassisted)
Stat Summary
Shots: PSU 24, W&M 11
Corners: PSU 7, W&M 6
Saves: PSU 3, W&M 4
Fouls: PSU 6, W&M 3
Offsides: PSU 1, W&M 3
Booking Summary
none
Penn State Player of the Game: Danielle Toney
For complete coverage of Penn State women's soccer, please visit http://www.GoPSUsports.com/sports/w-soccer.
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--NITTANY LIONS--